DAASANACH of KENYA

Population: 25,000
Location: Omo River, N. & E. of Turkana lakeshore between 4-5 degrees latitude. There are also some in Ethiopia and a small minority in Sudan.

The Daasanach people have been resistant to Islam for the last 30 years where there has been an evangelistic Islamic presence among them. There are fewer than ten converts to Islam in the whole tribe. By the same token, the Catholic effort among the Daasanach has been slow to bear fruit, because there are no Catholic missionaries who speak the tribal language. They are considered receptive as they are curious about God and always willing to talk about Him.

The Daasanach religion is traditional monotheistic - not animism. They are also called Gelebba (in Ethiopia) and Shangila in Kenya. They were nomadic people but because of the difficulty in moving across borders they are now settling into villages.

Food and shelter are adequate but health care and education are considered poor. A few are fisherman but most are farmers or hunters. Crops include sorghum, millet, field peas. Recreational activities consist of storytelling, hunting with primitive weapons, dancing and playing a game called bol (Cushite stones game) They fabricate wooden implements and stools.

The key to success in reaching this people is a dedicated effort by Protestant missionaries to live with these people and to learn their language (Daasanach) and to teach them the Bible in their own language. Maximum effort should go towards literacy (in conjunction with the program already underway with SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) primary education of young people in Africa Inland Church schools and adult Bible education. The McDougalls are presently working in this area located at lleret.